COIMBATORE: Around 10-15 drugs classified as painkillers, sleeping pills, and synthetic opioids are abused mostly by youngsters, and most of them were brought from neighbouring states through courier services, said Deputy Commissioner of Police R Stalin during a meeting with pharmacists and courier service firms on Friday.
After police tightened the movements of marijuana, drug peddlers have found a new way. They now buy painkillers and sedative pills illegally from various suppliers online and sell them to college students. To closely monitor such sales, the Coimbatore city police convened a meeting with medical shop owners, representatives of pharmaceutical companies, and courier companies at the police commissionerate on Friday.
“We are in a position to rehabilitate the younger generations and protect them from drug peddlers. Most of them use three types of drugs-painkillers, sleeping pills, and synthetic opioids, which come under Schedule H, and all of them are brought from neighbouring states through courier services. Courier service firms should establish a scanner through which they can identify the banned items inside the parcels. Also, they have the power to check the parcels in the presence of police if they have any doubts,” said DCP.
Stalin further said, “Medical shop owners should fix at least two CCTV cameras- one that faces towards the road and another focusing inside the shop. The shop owners should also ensure that they won’t sell painkillers and sedative pills to anyone without a doctor’s prescription. They should also not provide more than the prescribed medicines.”
While explaining police cannot book cases related to some synthetic opioid drugs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Stalin said that “instead of the NDPS Act, they are registering such cases under Section 328 (Administering stupefying drug with intent to cause hurt, etc) of the IPC”. Around 170 people and drug inspectors participated in the meeting.